African Sports Monthly January 2013 Issue | Page 35

won almost half of her
races all season long
and was the 2011
World Champion in
the event and therefore was expected to
do well in London.
Lehann Fourie placed
seventh in the 110m
hurdles final. Fourie
set the African and
South African records
later in the year with a
time of 13.24 seconds.
Gerald Phiri of Zambia
made it to the semiGerald Phiri of Zambia in action against Tyson Gay of the USA in the
finals in the 100m with 100 meters Semi-Finals
a time of
10.11seconds. It was close to his Zambian national record of 10.06 which he had set back at the
Texas Relays in Austin Texas some months back and the second best time he has ever ran, but
failed to advance to the finals as he placed fifth in his semi-final heat.
Ngonidzashe Makusha one of the brightest African medal prospects for the London Games, had to
miss the Olympics due to an Achilles injury he sustained and had to undergo surgery months before
the games. The 2011 Long Jump World Champion bronze medallist and double NCAA champion
would have had a good chance to win the long jump and possibly even reach the 100m finals too
after posting the 3rd fastest time ever ran by an African sprinter of 9.89 second back in the spring of
2011. Makusha’s personal best would have placed him first in the long jump and sixth in the 100m
final.
Makusha’s recovery has been going well and he should be back in
top shape for the World Athletics Championships in Moscow in August of 2013.
Beijing silver medallist Khotso Mokoena from South Africa was
eight in a very low quality long jump final. Oke Tosin from Nigeria
was seventh in the triple jump final.
As expected, Africans took most of the distance medals. On the
men’s side the entire marathon medals went to Africa as Stephen
Kiprotich from Uganda took gold, Abel Kirui from Kenya silver and
another Kenyan Wilson Kiprotich bronze.

Makusha of Zimbabwe

Other African gold medallists in London 2012 were Taoufik Makhloufi from Algeria in 1500m, Ezekiel Kemboi from Kenya in the
3000m steeplechase, Meseret Defar in women’s 5000m, and Tiki
Gelana in women’s marathon.
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